Wisconsin enacting new residential electrical codes in the fall

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New safety codes for electrical and plumbing work in Wisconsin will take effect in September.

The state adopted the 2023 National Electric Code standards with some changes to match state law and agency procedure, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services announced on June 3.

The new electrical code will be published June 29. It will replace the current electrical code which is based on 2017 NEC standards, agency officials said.

Beginning Sept. 1, any electrical or plumbing plans submitted to DSPS must follow new code requirements.

The agency said updates to the plumbing code will address inconsistencies between the current state plumbing code, other DSPS rules and national standards the department has adopted.

“State codes are vital public safety tools, and these codes updates will improve the safety of future commercial and residential buildings across Wisconsin,” said Dan Hereth, secretary of DSPS, in a statement.

“I want to thank our DSPS staff, the Plumbing Code Advisory Committee and Chairperson Joseph Kiedrowski, the Electrical Code Advisory Committee and Chairperson Kyle Krueger, and the industry stakeholders who worked together for months to develop these updated codes, providing a safer future for Wisconsin communities,” Hereth added.

Mark Cook, an electrical education specialist for Faith Technologies, Inc. and contributor to The Daily Reporter, noted that many changes to the electrical code involved electrical systems for residential spaces.

“The electrical code adopts the 2023 National Electrical Code with amendments found in SPS 316,” Cook said. “Once again, Wisconsin will skip over one code cycle and leapfrog over the 2020 NEC and into the 2023 NEC.”

“On the electrical side, as of this printing, the expansion of ground-fault, circuit interrupters in dwellings are not going to be adopted in its entirety by DSPS,” he added. “The requirement for 50-amp outlets at dwellings are not adopted. Kitchen island and peninsulas will still require at least one receptable outlet with limitations… These are just a small portion of SPS 316 until the updates are adopted at the end of this month.”

In October, state professional exams will include new code changes in its questions.